Latest / Galactic Patrol / 19 - Galactic Patrol by E. E. Smith

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19 - Galactic Patrol by E. E. Smith · Galactic Patrol

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  Speaker 1: Chapter nineteen of Galactic Patrol by E. E. Smith. This
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  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. It had taken
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: the Lensman a long time to work out in his
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  Speaker 1: mind exactly what it was that he had wanted from
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  Speaker 1: the Urysians, and from no single source had the basic
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  Speaker 1: idea come. Part of it had come from his own
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  Speaker 1: knowledge of ordinary hypnosis, part from the ability of the
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  Speaker 1: overlords of Delgon to control from a distance the minds
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  Speaker 1: of others. Part from Wersul, who, working through Kennisson's own mind,
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  Speaker 1: had done such surprising things with the lens and a
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  Speaker 1: great part, indeed, from the Urysians themselves, who had the
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  Speaker 1: astounding ability, literally and completely to superimpose their own mentalities
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  Speaker 1: upon those of others. Wherever situate, Part by part and
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  Speaker 1: bit by bit, the Tilurian Lensmen had built up his plan,
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  Speaker 1: but he had not had the sheer power of intellect
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  Speaker 1: to make it work. But now he had that, and
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  Speaker 1: he was ready to go. But where his first impulse
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  Speaker 1: was to return to al Deburan I and to invade
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  Speaker 1: again the st wronghold of the Wheelman, who had routed
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  Speaker 1: him so ignominiously in his one encounter with them. Ordinary prudence. However,
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  Speaker 1: counseled against that course. You'd better lay off them. Awhile
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  Speaker 1: came old boy, he told himself, quite frankly, they've got
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  Speaker 1: a lot of jets, and you don't know how to
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  Speaker 1: use this new stuff of yours. Yet, better pick out
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  Speaker 1: something easier to take. Ever since leaving Aricia, he'd been
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  Speaker 1: subconsciously aware of a difference in his eyesight. He was
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  Speaker 1: seeing things much more clearly than he had ever seen
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  Speaker 1: them before, more sharply and in greater detail. Now this
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  Speaker 1: awareness crept into his consciousness, and he glanced toward his
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  Speaker 1: tube lights. They were out, except for the tiny lamps
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  Speaker 1: and bull's eyes of his instrument board. The vessel must
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  Speaker 1: be in complete darkness. And he remembered then with a
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  Speaker 1: shock that when he entered the speedster he had not
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  Speaker 1: turned on his lights. He could see, and he had
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  Speaker 1: not thought of them at all. This, then, was the
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  Speaker 1: first of the surprises the Aryssian had promised him. He
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  Speaker 1: now had the sense of perception of the Rigellians, or
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  Speaker 1: was it that of the wheelman or both? Or were
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  Speaker 1: they the same? Intently aware, now, he focused his attention
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  Speaker 1: upon a meter before him, first upon its dial, noting
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  Speaker 1: that the needle was exactly upon the green hairline of
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  Speaker 1: normal operation, and then deeper. Instantly, the face of the
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  Speaker 1: instrument disappeared, moved behind his point of sight, or so
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  Speaker 1: it seemed, so that he could see its coils, pivots,
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  Speaker 1: and other interior parts. He could look into and study
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  Speaker 1: the grain and particle size of the dense, hard Condon
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  Speaker 1: side of the board itself. His vision was limited, apparently
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  Speaker 1: only by his will to see. Well, ain't that something
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  Speaker 1: he demanded of the universe at large? And then, as
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  Speaker 1: a thought struck him, I wonder if they blinded me
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  Speaker 1: In the process, He switched on his lamps, discovering that
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  Speaker 1: his vision was unimpaired and normal in every respect, and
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  Speaker 1: a rigid investigation proved to him conclusively that in addition
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  Speaker 1: to ordinary vision, he now had an extra sense, or
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  Speaker 1: perhaps two of them, and that he could change from
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  Speaker 1: one to the other or use them simultaneously at will.
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  Speaker 1: But the very fact of this discovery made Kinnison pause.
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  Speaker 1: He hadn't better go anywhere or do anything until he'd
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  Speaker 1: found out something about his new equipment. The fact was
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  Speaker 1: that he didn't even know what he had to say,
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  Speaker 1: nothing of knowing how to use it. If he had
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  Speaker 1: the sense of a hoot owl, he'd go somewhere where
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  Speaker 1: he could do a little experimenting without getting his jets
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  Speaker 1: burned off in case something slipped at a critical moment.
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  Speaker 1: Let's see where was the nearest patrol base. A big
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  Speaker 1: one fully defended hum Ratlicks would be about the closest
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  Speaker 1: sector base. He guessed he'd find out if he could
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  Speaker 1: raid that outfit without getting caught at it. Off he shot,
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  Speaker 1: and in due course a fair green, earth like planet
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  Speaker 1: lay beneath his vessel's keel. Since it was earth like
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  Speaker 1: in climate, age, atmosphere, and mass, its people were of
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  Speaker 1: course more or less similar to humanity in general characteristics,
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  Speaker 1: both of body and of mind. If anything, they were
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  Speaker 1: even more intelligent than Earthlings, and their patrol base was
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  Speaker 1: a very strong one. Indeed, his SPI ray would be useless,
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  Speaker 1: since all patrol bases were screened thoroughly and continuously. He
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  Speaker 1: would see what a sense of perception would do. From
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  Speaker 1: Tregonci's explanation, it ought to work at this range. When
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  Speaker 1: Kinnison concentrated his attention upon the base he saw it,
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  Speaker 1: he advanced toward it at the speed of thought and
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  Speaker 1: entered it, passing through screens and metal walls without hindrance,
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  Speaker 1: without giving alarm. He saw men at their accustomed tasks,
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  Speaker 1: and heard, or rather sensed their conversation, the everyday chat
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  Speaker 1: of their professions. A thrill shot through him at a
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  Speaker 1: dazzling possibility thus revealed. If he could make one of
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  Speaker 1: those fellows down there do something without his knowing that
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  Speaker 1: he was doing it, his problem was solved. That computer, say,
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  Speaker 1: make him uncover that calculator and set up a certain
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  Speaker 1: integral on it. It would be easy enough to get
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  Speaker 1: into touch with him and have him to do it,
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  Speaker 1: but this was something altogether different. Kinnison got into the
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  Speaker 1: computer's mind easily enough and willed intensely what he was
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  Speaker 1: to do, But the officer did not do it. He
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  Speaker 1: got up, and, then, staring about him in bewilderment, sat
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  Speaker 1: down again. What's the matter, asked one of his fellows.
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  Speaker 1: Forget something not exactly the computer still stared. I was
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  Speaker 1: going to set up an integral, but I didn't want
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  Speaker 1: it either. I could swear somebody told me to set
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  Speaker 1: it up. Nobody did. You'd better start staying home nights,
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  Speaker 1: and then maybe you wouldn't get funny ideas. This wasn't
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  Speaker 1: so good, Kinnison reflected, the guy should have done it,
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  Speaker 1: and shouldn't have remembered a thing about it. Well, he
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  Speaker 1: hadn't really thought he could put it across at that
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  Speaker 1: distance anyway, he didn't have the brain of an Erysian.
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  Speaker 1: He'd have to follow his original plan of close up work.
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  Speaker 1: Waiting until the base was well into the night side
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  Speaker 1: of the planet, and making sure that his flare baffles
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  Speaker 1: were in place, he allowed the speedster to drop downward,
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  Speaker 1: landing at some little distance from the fortress. There he
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  Speaker 1: left the ship, and he made his way toward his
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  Speaker 1: objective in a series of rapid, long inertialless hops lower
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  Speaker 1: and shorter became the hops, And then he cut off
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  Speaker 1: his power entirely and walked until he saw before him,
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  Speaker 1: rising from the ground, stretching interminably upward, an almost invisible,
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  Speaker 1: shimmering web of force. This, the prowler knew, was the
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  Speaker 1: curtain which marked the border of the reservation, the trigger
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  Speaker 1: upon which a touch either of solid object or of
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  Speaker 1: beam would liberate a veritable inferno of the most destructive
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  Speaker 1: agencies generable to the eye. That base was not impressive,
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  Speaker 1: being merely a few square miles of level ground, outlined
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  Speaker 1: with low, broad pill boxes, studded here and there with
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  Speaker 1: harmless looking bulging domes. There were a few clusters of buildings,
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  Speaker 1: but that was all to the eye. But Kinnison was
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  Speaker 1: not deceived. He knew that the base itself was a
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  Speaker 1: thousand feet underground, that the pill boxes housed lookouts and detectors,
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  Speaker 1: and that those domes were simply weather shields which rolled
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  Speaker 1: back would expose projectors second in power, not even to
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  Speaker 1: those of prime base itself. Far to the right, between
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  Speaker 1: two tall pylons of metal was the gate, the only
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  Speaker 1: opening in the web. Kinnison had avoided it purposely. It
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  Speaker 1: was no part of his plan to subject himself yet
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  Speaker 1: to the scrutiny of the the all inclusive photo cells
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  Speaker 1: of the entrance. Instead, with his new sense of perception,
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  Speaker 1: he sought out the conduits leading to those cells and
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  Speaker 1: traced them down through concrete and steel and masonry to
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  Speaker 1: the control room far below. He then superimposed his mind
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  Speaker 1: upon that of the man at the board and flew
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  Speaker 1: boldly toward the entrance. He now actually had a dual personality,
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  Speaker 1: since one part of his mind was in his body,
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  Speaker 1: darting through the air toward the portal, while the other
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  Speaker 1: part was deep in the base below, watching him come
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  Speaker 1: and acknowledging his signals. A trap lifted, revealing a sloping,
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  Speaker 1: tunneled ramp, down which the lensman shot. He soon found
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  Speaker 1: a convenient store room. Slipping within it, he withdrew his
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  Speaker 1: control carefully from the mind of the observer, wiping out
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  Speaker 1: all traces of that control as he did so. He
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  Speaker 1: then watched apprehensively for a possible reaction. He was almost
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  Speaker 1: sure that he had performed the operation correctly, but he
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  Speaker 1: had to be absolutely certain. More than his life depended
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  Speaker 1: on the outcome of this test. The observer, however, remained
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  Speaker 1: calm and placid at his post, and a close reading
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  Speaker 1: of his thoughts showed that he had not the faintest
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  Speaker 1: suspicion that anything untoward had occurred. One more test and
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  Speaker 1: he was through. He must find out how many minds
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  Speaker 1: he could control simultaneously, but he'd better do that openly.
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  Speaker 1: No use making a man feel like a fool needlessly.
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  Speaker 1: He did that once already, and once was too many times. Therefore,
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  Speaker 1: reversing the procedure by which he had come, He went
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  Speaker 1: back to his speedster, took her out into the ether
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  Speaker 1: and slept, And then when the light of morning flooded
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  Speaker 1: the base, he cut his detector nullifier and approached it
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  Speaker 1: boldly Rattlick's base lensman Kinnison of Tellus, asking permission to land.
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  Speaker 1: I wish to confer with your lensman. My screens are down.
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  Speaker 1: A spy ray swept through the speedster. The web disappeared,
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  Speaker 1: and Kinnison landed to be greeted by four fellow lensmen
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  Speaker 1: with a quiet and cordial respect. Cordiality for his lens
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  Speaker 1: and respect for his Gray. The base commander knew that
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  Speaker 1: his visitor was not there purely for pleasure. Gray lensman
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  Speaker 1: did not take pleasure jaunts. Therefore, he led the way
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  Speaker 1: into his private office and shielded it. My announcement was
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  Speaker 1: not at all informative, Kinnison admitted. Then. But my errand
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  Speaker 1: is nothing to be advertised. I've got to try out something,
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  Speaker 1: and I want to ask you four lensmen to co
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  Speaker 1: operate with me for a few minutes. You don't need
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  Speaker 1: to ask, began the commander. No, this is not an
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  Speaker 1: order at all. It's simply a request. You see, I've
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  Speaker 1: been working a long time on a mind controller, and
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  Speaker 1: I want to see if it works. I'll put four
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  Speaker 1: books on this table, one in front of each of you. Now,
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  Speaker 1: I would like to try to make two or three
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  Speaker 1: of you, all four of you if I can each
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  Speaker 1: bend over, pick up his book and hold it. Your
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  Speaker 1: part of the game will be for each of you
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  Speaker 1: to try not to pick it up and to put
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  Speaker 1: it back as soon as you possibly can. If I
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  Speaker 1: make you obey, will you sure the three of them chorused?
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  Speaker 1: There will be no mental damage, of course, asked the commander.
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  Speaker 1: None whatever, and no after effects either. I've had it
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  Speaker 1: worked on myself a lot. Do you want any apparatus? No,
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  Speaker 1: I have everything necessary. Remember I want top resistance. Let
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  Speaker 1: her come. You'll get plenty of resistance if you can
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  Speaker 1: make any one of us pick up a book after
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  Speaker 1: all this warning, I'll say you've got something. Lensman after Lensman,
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  Speaker 1: in spite of strainingly resisting mind and body, lifted his
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  Speaker 1: book from the table, only to drop it again. As
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  Speaker 1: Kinnison's control relaxed for an instant, he could control two
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  Speaker 1: of them, any two of them, but he could not
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  Speaker 1: quite handle three. Satisfied, he ceased his efforts. As the
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  Speaker 1: base commander poured long cold drinks for the sweating five.
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  Speaker 1: One of his fellows asked, what did you do anyway, Kinnison? Oh,
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  Speaker 1: pardon me, I shouldn't have asked. Sorry, the Tilurian replied, uncomfortably.
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  Speaker 1: But it isn't ready yet. You'll all know about it
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  Speaker 1: as soon as possible, but not just now. Sure, The
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  Speaker 1: Rattoligian replied, I knew I shouldn't have blasted off as
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  Speaker 1: soon as I spoke. Well, thanks a lot, fellers. Kinnison
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  Speaker 1: set his empty glass down with a click. I can
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  Speaker 1: make a nice progress report on this doejig now. And
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  Speaker 1: one more thing. I did a little long range experimenting
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  Speaker 1: on one of your computers last night, Desk twelve, the
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  Speaker 1: one who thought he wanted to integrate something, that's the one.
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  Speaker 1: Tell him I was using him for a mind RaSE subject.
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  Speaker 1: Will you and give him this fifty credit bill? I
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  Speaker 1: don't want the boys needling him too much. Yes, and thanks,
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  Speaker 1: And I wonder the base commander evidently had something on
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  Speaker 1: his mind. Say can you make a man tell the
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  Speaker 1: truth with that? And if you can, will you? Well?
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  Speaker 1: I think so, I certainly will if I can why
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  Speaker 1: Kennison knew that he could do so, but he did
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  Speaker 1: not wish to seem cock Sure there's been a murder.
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  Speaker 1: The other three glanced at each other in understanding and
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  Speaker 1: sighed with profound relief, a particularly fiendish murder of a woman,
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  Speaker 1: a girl. Rather, two men have been accused. Each has
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  Speaker 1: a perfect alibi, supported by honest witnesses. But you know
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  Speaker 1: how much an alibi means now both men tell perfectly
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  Speaker 1: straight stories under the lens and all other lie detectors.
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  Speaker 1: Either one of those men is lying with a polish
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  Speaker 1: I would never have believed possible, or both are innocent
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  Speaker 1: and one of them must be guilty. These are the
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  Speaker 1: only suspects. If we try them now, we make fools
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  Speaker 1: of ourselves, and we can't put off the trial very
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  Speaker 1: much longer without losing face. If you could help us out,
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  Speaker 1: you'll be doing a lot for the patrol throughout this
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  Speaker 1: whole sector. I can help you, Kinnison declared for this, though,
• 12:32
  Speaker 1: better have some props. Make me a box double Bourbank
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  Speaker 1: Controls with five baby spots on it, orange, blue, green,
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  Speaker 1: purple and red. I want the biggest set of headphones
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  Speaker 1: you've got, and a thick black blindfold. How soon can
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  Speaker 1: you try them? The sooner the better. It can be
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  Speaker 1: arranged for this afternoon the trial was announced, and long
• 12:52
  Speaker 1: before the appointed hour, the great court room of that
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  Speaker 1: world's largest city was thronged. The hour struck quiet rain.
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  Speaker 1: Kinnison the lensmen in somber gray strode to the judge's
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  Speaker 1: desk and sat down behind the peculiar box. Upon it
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  Speaker 1: in dead silence. Two other lensmen approached. The first invested
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  Speaker 1: him reverently with the headphones. The second so unwrapped his
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  Speaker 1: head in black cloth that it was apparent to all
• 13:16
  Speaker 1: observers that his vision was completely obscured. Although from a
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  Speaker 1: world far distant in space, I have been asked to
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  Speaker 1: try two suspects for the crime of murder, Kinnison intoned.
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  Speaker 1: I do not know the details of the crime, nor
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  Speaker 1: the identity of the suspects. I do know that they
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  Speaker 1: and their witnesses are within these railings. I shall now
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  Speaker 1: select those who are about to be examined. Piercing beams
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  Speaker 1: of intense, very colored light played over the two groups,
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  Speaker 1: and the deep, impressive voice went on, I know now
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  Speaker 1: who the suspects are. They are about to rise to
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  Speaker 1: walk and to seat themselves as I shall direct. They
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  Speaker 1: did so, it being plainly evident to all observers that
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  Speaker 1: they were under some awful compulsion. The witness yis may
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  Speaker 1: be excused. Truth is the only thing of importance here,
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  Speaker 1: and witnesses, being human and therefore frail, obstruct truth more
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  Speaker 1: frequently than they further its progress. I shall now examine
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  Speaker 1: these two accused again. The vivid, weirdly distorting glares of
• 14:16
  Speaker 1: light lashed out, bathing an intense monochrome, and in various
• 14:19
  Speaker 1: ghastly combinations, first one prisoner and then the other, the
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  Speaker 1: while Kinnison drove his mind into theirs, plumbing their deepest depths.
• 14:28
  Speaker 1: The silence, already profound, became the utter stillness of outer space.
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  Speaker 1: As the throng, holding its very breath, now sat enthralled
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  Speaker 1: by that portentous examination. I have examined them fully. You
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  Speaker 1: are all aware that any lensman of the Galactic Patrol may,
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  Speaker 1: in case of need, serve as judge, jury, and executioner.
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  Speaker 1: I am, however, none of these, nor is this proceeding
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  Speaker 1: to be a trial. As you may have understood the
• 14:53
  Speaker 1: term I have said that witnesses are superfluous. I will
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  Speaker 1: now add that neither judge nor jury is necessary. All
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  Speaker 1: that is required is to discover the truth, since truth
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  Speaker 1: is all powerful. For that reason, also, not even an
• 15:06
  Speaker 1: executioner is needed here. The discovered truth will in and
• 15:09
  Speaker 1: of itself serve us in that capacity. One of these
• 15:13
  Speaker 1: men is guilty, the other is innocent. From the mind
• 15:16
  Speaker 1: of the guilty one, I am about to construct a composite,
• 15:20
  Speaker 1: not of this one fiendish crime alone, but of all
• 15:23
  Speaker 1: the crimes he has ever committed. I shall project that
• 15:25
  Speaker 1: composite into the air before him. No innocent mind will
• 15:29
  Speaker 1: be able to see any iota of it. The guilty man, however,
• 15:32
  Speaker 1: will perceive its every revolting detail, and so perceiving he
• 15:36
  Speaker 1: will forthwith cease to exist in this plane of life.
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  Speaker 1: One of the men had nothing to fear, Kinnison had
• 15:43
  Speaker 1: told him so long since. The other had been trembling
• 15:46
  Speaker 1: for minutes in uncontrollable paroxysms of terror. Now this one
• 15:50
  Speaker 1: leaped from his seat, clawing savagely at his eyes and
• 15:53
  Speaker 1: screaming in mad abandon. I did help mercy take her away.
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  Speaker 1: Aah shrieked and died horribly. Even as he shrieked. Nor
• 16:04
  Speaker 1: was their noise in the courtroom. After the thing was over,
• 16:06
  Speaker 1: the stunned spectators slunk away, scarcely daring even to breathe
• 16:10
  Speaker 1: until they were safely outside. Nor were the Ratiligian lensmen
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  Speaker 1: much more at ease. Not a word was said until
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  Speaker 1: the five were back in the commander's office at base.
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  Speaker 1: Then Kinnison, still white of face, and said of jaw spoke.
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  Speaker 1: The others knew that he had found the guilty man,
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  Speaker 1: and that he had, in some peculiarly terrible fashion executed him.
• 16:30
  Speaker 1: He knew that they knew that the man was hideously guilty. Nevertheless,
• 16:33
  Speaker 1: the Tulurian said he was guilty, guilty as all the
• 16:38
  Speaker 1: devils in all the hills of the entire universe. I
• 16:40
  Speaker 1: never had to do that before, and it gripes me,
• 16:43
  Speaker 1: but I couldn't shove the job off on you, fellas
• 16:45
  Speaker 1: I wouldn't want anyone to see that picture who didn't
• 16:48
  Speaker 1: have to, and without it you could never begin to
• 16:50
  Speaker 1: understand just how atrociously and damnably guilty that hellhound really was. Well, thanks, Kinnison,
• 16:57
  Speaker 1: the commander said, simply, Kinnison, Kinnison of tell Us. I'll
• 17:02
  Speaker 1: remember that name in case we ever need you as
• 17:04
  Speaker 1: badly again, But after what you just did, it will
• 17:07
  Speaker 1: be a long time if ever, you didn't know, did
• 17:09
  Speaker 1: you that all the inhabitants of four planets were watching you?
• 17:13
  Speaker 1: Holy rockets? Know were they they were? And if the
• 17:16
  Speaker 1: way you scared me is any criterion, it will be
• 17:20
  Speaker 1: a long cold day before anything like that comes up
• 17:22
  Speaker 1: again in this system. Thanks again, Gray Lensman, you've done
• 17:26
  Speaker 1: something for our whole patrol this day. Be sure to
• 17:29
  Speaker 1: dismantle that box so thoroughly no one recognize any of
• 17:32
  Speaker 1: its component parts. Kinnison managed a rather feeble grin, and
• 17:36
  Speaker 1: one more thing, and I'll buzz along? Do you? Fellows
• 17:39
  Speaker 1: happen to know where there's a good strong pirate base
• 17:41
  Speaker 1: around here anywhere? And while I don't want to seem fussy,
• 17:44
  Speaker 1: I'd like it all the better if they were warm blooded,
• 17:47
  Speaker 1: oxygen breathers, so that I won't have to wear armor
• 17:49
  Speaker 1: all the time. What are you trying to do? Give
• 17:51
  Speaker 1: us the needle or something. This is not precisely what
• 17:54
  Speaker 1: the Ratiligian said, but it conveys the thought Kinnison received
• 17:57
  Speaker 1: as the base commander stared at him in amazement. Don't
• 18:00
  Speaker 1: tell me that there is such a base around here,
• 18:02
  Speaker 1: exclaimed the Tulurian, in delight. Is there really there is?
• 18:07
  Speaker 1: And it's so strong we've not been able to touch it,
• 18:09
  Speaker 1: and it's manned and staff by natives of your own planet,
• 18:12
  Speaker 1: tell Us of Soul, we reported it to Prime Base
• 18:15
  Speaker 1: some eighty three days ago, just after we discovered it.
• 18:18
  Speaker 1: You're direct from there, he fell silent. This was no
• 18:22
  Speaker 1: way to be talking to a gray Lensman. I was
• 18:25
  Speaker 1: in the hospital then, fighting with my nurse because she
• 18:27
  Speaker 1: wouldn't give me anything to eat, Kinnison explained, with a laugh.
• 18:30
  Speaker 1: When I left, tell Us, I didn't check up on
• 18:32
  Speaker 1: the late data. Didn't think I would need to. If
• 18:34
  Speaker 1: you've got it, though, hospital, you queried one of the
• 18:37
  Speaker 1: younger Lensmen. Yep, bit off more than I could chew,
• 18:41
  Speaker 1: and the Tulurian briefly described his misadventure with the wheelman
• 18:44
  Speaker 1: of al Deburan. I this other thing has come up
• 18:48
  Speaker 1: since then, though, and I won't be sticking my neck
• 18:50
  Speaker 1: out that way again. If you've got such a made
• 18:52
  Speaker 1: to order base as that in this region, it'll save
• 18:55
  Speaker 1: me a long trip. Where is it? They gave him
• 18:58
  Speaker 1: its coordinates and what little information they had been able
• 19:01
  Speaker 1: to secure concerning it. They did not ask him why
• 19:03
  Speaker 1: he wanted that data. They may have wondered at his
• 19:05
  Speaker 1: temerity and daring to scout alone a fortress whose strength
• 19:09
  Speaker 1: had kept at bay the massed patrol forces of the sector.
• 19:13
  Speaker 1: But if they did so, they kept their thoughts well screened,
• 19:16
  Speaker 1: for this was a gray lensman, and very evidently a
• 19:19
  Speaker 1: superpowered individual, even of that select group whose weakest members
• 19:23
  Speaker 1: were powerful. Indeed, if he felt like talking, they would listen.
• 19:26
  Speaker 1: But Kinnison did not talk. He did the listening. Then,
• 19:30
  Speaker 1: when he had learned everything they knew of the Bosconian Bass,
• 19:33
  Speaker 1: he said, well, I better be buzzin' clear ether fellas,
• 19:37
  Speaker 1: and he was gone. End of Chapter nineteen